Yesterday, Saints right tackle Zach Strief announced his retirement after a 12-year NFL career with the team, but the most emotional part of the press conference came when Strief began talking about his quarterback Drew Brees, and how much he means to him.

Brees was in attendance, and was moved to tears, along with most people in the room, when Strieff spoke about his dedication and sacrifice to the team and what an honor it was to play with him.

There are a lot of NFL quarterbacks, but very few whose guys are willing to get into the foxhole with them every single week. Strief’s comments speak volumes about Brees as a leader.